Based on the readings from Aquinas, Ayer, Swinburne, Clifford, Flew, and Plantinga, write a short essay on Flew’s Presumption of Atheism and how the other thinkers we have read would view Flew’s position.
1. Briefly explain Flew’s concept of ‘the presumption of atheism’
◦ What is the distinction between negative atheism and positive atheism?
◦ What are the requirements set out by the presumption of atheism?
2. Briefly compare and contrast Flew’s presupposition of atheism with the various theists and atheists we read.
• Atheists
◦ Given Ayer’s argument that “God” is meaningless, would Ayer be a positive or negative atheist?
◦ Given Clifford’s evidentialist requirements for belief, would Clifford be a positive or negative atheist?
• Theists
◦ Aquinas holds that rational faith (as opposed to superstition) must be based on suitable evidence. Would Aquinas agree in whole or in part with Flew? Why or why not?
◦ Plantinga argue that belief in God can be rational without evidence. Are they right to reject Flew’s presumption of atheism? Why or why not?
3. Conclude by briefly discussing your own position on faith and evidence
• Given that God cannot be directly observed, does religious belief that there is a God require any evidence to be rational?
• If so, what kind of evidence is necessary for such belief to be rational?
• If not, are there any limits on what we can rationally believe without evidence?
Grading
Personal reflection papers in this course will be graded based on three criteria:
1 Does the paper address the prompt?
2 Does the content demonstrate the student has thought about the topic or just dashed off something last minute?
3 Is the paper clearly written with a formal tone?
4 Is the prose free of grammatical, spelling, or usage errors?
Length: 500 words minimum.
Formatting Requirements: Double spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins
Citations: Chicago Manuel of Style (You may either use footnotes or parenthetical citations)–a cover page and title is optional.
Submission Details: Your paper must be formatted as a PDF or Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). E-mailed papers will not be accepted unless the Professor has approved it beforehand.
